Home Office

Syria: Refugees

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their decision to accept additional refugees from Syria, whether they have taken into account reports that many Christian refugees have sought refuge in private homes and churches rather than in UN refugee camps; and whether in their discussions with UNHCR they will make representations to ensure that there is no indirect discrimination against Christian refugees.

Lord Bates: The UK will continue to use the established UNHCR process for identifying and resettling refugees. We are in discussion with the UNHCR on the precise criteria for selecting cases for the expanded resettlement scheme. However, we are clear that the most vulnerable cases will still be prioritised and we will only resettle those people that we and the UNHCR agree require resettlement in a country like the UK.

Police National Computer

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) was granted direct read-only access to the Police National Computer; and whether there are limits to the information to which the SSPCA has access.

Lord Bates: The SSPCA were granted access to PNC for the sole purpose of assisting them with the investigation, prosecution and detection of serious animal welfare related crime (e.g dog fighting, badger baiting and the animal trade). Their access is strictly limited and excludes access to information which they are not specifically entitled to see.

Police National Computer

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions during 2014 the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, under their information-sharing agreement, was given access to information held on the Police National Computer.

Lord Bates: The RSPCA does not have direct access to PNC. If the RSPCA need a PNC check they will contact the relevant local police force under the data sharing agreement. There is no central record of the number of enquiries made.

Knives: Crime

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the incidence of knife crime amongst young males in London.

Lord Bates: The independent Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that crime has fallen by more than a quarter since June 2010. While better police recording of violent crime appears to have led to a recent statistical rise, knife crime offences remain 18% below the level in the year to June 2010 and figures for London show that knife crime offences are now 24% lower than June 2010. In the year ending March 2015, the Metropolitan police recorded 9,623 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument, a 4% decrease compared with the previous year (10,012 in year ending March 2014). Police forces do not break down offence data by age.We are taking a range of steps to tackle knife crime, including working with police forces and other key partners through the Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme, including in 25 London boroughs. We have also strengthened the law in this area, and in July 2015, we brought into force the new legislative provision that anyone caught in possession of a knife for a second time will now face a mandatory minimum sentence in prison or youth custody.

Religious Hatred

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prevent attacks on Muslims and their places of worship in the light of the recent statistics from the Metropolitan Police Service showing an increase of 70 per cent in such attacks since July 2014.

Lord Bates: The Government takes the security of the Muslim and all other communities extremely seriously, and deplores all forms of hate crime. The Government is committed to stamping this out to ensure the safety and security of all our communities. Our new Counter-Extremism Strategy, due to be published later this year, will outline how we will further protect British Muslims, including communities worried about poisonous far right extremists who may be planning crimes such as attacks on mosques.Ensuring that there is effective security at crowded places and potentially vulnerable sites, such as mosques, remains a priority for the Government. We work with the police to ensure the safety and security of all communities, and considerable advice and guidance has already been provided to mosques, madrassahs, synagogues, and other religious sites; for example, we have drawn upon the expertise of Bradford Council of Mosques and the Community Security Trust to develop security guidance for all mosques in the light of the 2014 incursions by Britain First.The Department for Communities and Local Government also chairs a cross-Government working group on anti-Muslim hatred, which includes community organisations and representatives, to consider and develop initiatives to seek to combat hate crime.Police forces continue to be alert to combating and responding to crimes being committed against members of the Muslim community, and to taking appropriate steps to safeguard people and property. Monitoring of the security situation and specific threats to communities remains under regular review, and if there is a need to consider additional measures to ensure the security of the Muslim or any other community, then these will be undertaken as and when it is appropriate to do so.

Asylum: Finance

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what payments were made to asylum seekers who were not entitled to state benefits in (1) 2000, (2) 2010, and (3) 2014.

Lord Bates: The Home Office does not recognise or use the term ‘state benefits’. We have therefore provided information on payments made under Section 4 and Section 95 of the Asylum Act 1999. Under S95Under S4Calendar Year£m£m201466.411.3201025.8 Disaggregating the costs of subsistence payments made under S4 in 2010 would incur disproportionate costs.Disaggregating the S4 or S95 costs in 2000 would incur disproportionate costs.

Refugees: Mediterranean Sea

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Royal Navy's decision to instruct migrants rescued from the Mediterranean to disembark from the ships inside rather than outside the European Union is consistent with their policy of discouraging people trafficking.

Lord Bates: Under international law the UK has a duty not to return people who are rescued at sea to countries where they would be at risk of serious harm. That is why people rescued at sea are taken to Italy as this is considered the nearest safe country.However, we need to break the link between getting on a boat and automatically achieving residence in Europe. The UK is playing a leading role in pushing for action through the EU and the UN to tackle the causes of illegal immigration to discourage people from making the perilous journey in the first place. The UK is also pursuing and disrupting the organised crime groups profiting from the people smuggling trade, including through the creation of an Organised Immigration Crime Task Force.If migrants do reach the EU they need to be stopped, processed and screened when they arrive to control their movement and to distinguish between genuine refugees and economic migrants. The UK fully supports the EU’s ‘hotspots’ initiative which will help give effect to this.

Pakistan: Christianity

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the report commissioned by the British Pakistan Christian Association, entitled Education, Human Rights Violations in Pakistan and the Scandal Involving UNHRC and Asylum Seekers in Thailand; and whether, in the light of this report, they plan to review the risk of the persecution of Christians in Pakistan and update their guidance document Pakistan: Christians and Christian Converts.

Lord Bates: The Home Office will be considering the report commissioned by the British Pakistani Christian Association alongside a range of other material to make a full assessment of the situation of Christians in Pakistan, and will revise its country information and guidance if necessary.The Home Office considers that the treatment of asylum seekers in Thailand is primarily a matter for the Thai authorities.

Refugees

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to set out the steps and timescale by which the refugees currently in Hungary, Austria, Italy, and Germany would have the unfettered right to move to the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: The United Kingdom does not participate in the border aspects of the Schengen acquis and continues to operate border controls with other EU Member States. Individuals granted refugee status in another Member State will therefore be subject to the same entry clearance requirements as third country visa nationals resident in the EU if they wish to enter the United Kingdom. Free movement rights can only be obtained once a refugee becomes a citizen of an EU country. This process varies from Member State to Member State.

Refugees: Syria

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to the webpages of the Communities and Local Government and Home Office sections of gov.uk entitled Syria refugees: what you can do to help, how many responses they have had in the first week from (1) the general public, (2) local authorities, (3) education providers, and (4) religious organisations, offering help under each of the headings; and what system they have set up for dealing with those responses.

Lord Bates: The response of the British public has been one of overwhelming generosity. In order to harness that response, the Government has established a webpage on gov.uk containing useful information on where to find further advice to frequently asked questions. The webpage has generated significant traffic in the last week, and aims to direct the public towards the most relevant information or bodies through which they can help, such as the Local Government Association website, or the websites of relevant charities and Non Governmental Associations. We are working closely with key partners to ensure that the offers received are captured by the appropriate organisation or body.

Refugees: Mediterranean Sea

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take steps to ensure that the United Kingdom can decide where to land migrants rescued from the Mediterranean by the Royal Navy, so as to ensure that they are not landed in the European Union.

Lord Bates: Under international law the UK has a duty not to return people who are rescued at sea to countries where they would be at risk of serious harm. That is why migrants rescued at sea are taken to Italy as this is considered the nearest safe country.But we are pushing for the swift establishment of 'hot spot' screening centres and action to return those who do not need our protection to their countries of origin.

Undocumented Migrants: Calais

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent since 2010 to deter illegal immigration in Calais and the surrounding region.

Lord Bates: Since 2010 Her Majesty's Government has spent £196m in Calais and the surrounding locations to secure the border, which includes day to day activity such as carrying out passport checks on all passengers, searching for illicit goods, as well as stopping and deterring illegal migration. Part of this figure includes the recent investment to reinforce security through infrastructure improvements at Border Force’s controls in Northern France. This has included £7 million for fencing at Coquelles, which will help protect Eurotunnel’s freight approach road, a £2 million upgrade of detection technology and boosting our dog searching capability by £1 million.Her Majesty's Government is also supporting the Port of Calais to create a secure waiting area for UK-bound lorries and has committed to funding additional security guards at the Eurotunnel site in the area.The Home Office and its partners, including the National Crime Agency, also fund wider activity to stop and deter illegal migration in Calais; however, it is not possible to attribute a specific amount to spending in the Calais area alone.

Refugees: Syria

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which sections of United Kingdom immigration regulations are, or will be, relaxed for Syrian refugees under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.

Lord Bates: The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme has been running for around 18 months already, and has not involved any relaxation of the UK's immigration rules. The Prime Minister announced on 7 September an expansion of that scheme.

Immigration: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the past five years, what percentage of applicants aged between 18 and 25 have been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on compassionate grounds; and how many applicants are still waiting for a decision.

Lord Bates: People in all immigration application routes have the potential to be granted leave to remain on compassionate grounds. There is no formal application category for ‘compassionate grounds’. The Home Office therefore cannot determine the percentage of applicants between 18 and 25 who have been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on compassionate grounds or how many applicants are still waiting for a decision.

Immigration: Appeals

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to offer to those waiting in the immigration and asylum appeal process (1) the right to work after six months, and (2) an automatic right to engage in voluntary work at the beginning of the process.

Lord Bates: We have no plans to reduce the time asylum seekers have to wait to take up employment or voluntary work. Volunteering can be undertaken at any stage of the asylum process and we support asylum seekers who engage in this positive contribution to the community, providing such activities do not amount to voluntary work or employment.

Ministry of Justice

Remand in Custody: Young People

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many nights were spent on remand in youth detention accommodation by children and young persons from each local authority in the years (1) 2012–13, (2) 2013–14, and (3) 2014–15.

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding allocations have been made available to individual local authorities in the years (1) 2013–14, (2) 2014–15 and (3) 2015–16, to meet the costs of young people made subject to secure remands.

Lord Faulks: The total number of youth remand bed nights fell by 27% between 2012/13 and 2014/15. The total value of youth remand funding provided to local authorities, which is based on historic remand use, was reduced by 27% between 2013/14 and 2015/16. Data on the number of remand bed nights by the Court Designated Local Authority has only been collected since responsibility for remand budgets was devolved in April 2013. Table 1 shows the number of remand bed nights by the Youth Offending Team for 2012/13. Table 2 shows the number of remand bed nights by the Court Designated Local Authority for 2013/14 and 2014/15. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time. The data for 2013/14 and 2014/15 is 'live' data and is subject to change. Table 3 shows the secure remand funding allocation for individual local authorities for the years 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16.



Levels of Remand
(Excel SpreadSheet, 35.27 KB)